Northern Thailand Elephant Sanctuary

Breakfast is usually served around 7:00am, with dinner served around 6:00pm. During the day, you may help prepare food for the elephants, clean shelters, support maintenance tasks and observe the herds as they walk, socialise, take mud or dust baths and swim in the river.

You’ll also learn about elephant behaviour, individual elephant stories and the broader welfare issues affecting elephants in Thailand. Activities may vary from week to week depending on elephant needs, weather, staff priorities and sanctuary operations.

Volunteers should have a good level of fitness, be able to follow staff instructions and be comfortable working in a team environment.

O2E lists the minimum age as 18 years for this project. Elephant Nature Park notes that children over 12 may attend if accompanied by a legal guardian, but for O2E volunteer placements we should keep the customer-facing requirement as 18+ unless you decide otherwise.

Vet students are welcome to apply, and longer placements may be available on request for those seeking additional hands-on learning time in a sanctuary setting.

This can be a moving and sometimes confronting experience. Many elephants at the sanctuary have been affected by logging, riding, circus work, street begging, injury, disability, age or trauma.

The work can also be physical and repetitive, with outdoor tasks in heat, rain, mud or changing conditions. Volunteers should arrive with patience, humility, flexibility and a genuine respect for elephant welfare.

This is not a performance-based experience. The value comes from learning, observing and supporting the daily care that helps rescued elephants live with more dignity and safety.

Placements usually begin on Monday and run through to Sunday.

Participants should arrive in Chiang Mai city the day before the program begins. Pick-up is usually from Chiang Mai city accommodation on Monday morning, or participants may meet at the Elephant Nature Park office

Standard volunteer placements are available for 1 or 2 weeks.

Vet student placements may be available for up to 4 weeks, subject to approval and availability.

Extensions may be possible depending on availability and suitability, with decisions made toward the end of the stay directly with the onsite project team.

The program generally runs during the day, with activities connected to elephant care, education, observation, food preparation, shelter cleaning and park maintenance.

O2E currently lists the work roster as approximately 9:00am to 5:00pm. Daily schedules may vary depending on elephant needs, weather, volunteer numbers and staff priorities

Volunteers stay on-site in shared accommodation, usually with at least one other person of the same sex. Rooms have attached bathrooms, and internet is generally available.

Accommodation is simple, comfortable and close to the sanctuary environment, giving volunteers the rare experience of falling asleep and waking to the sounds of elephants nearby.

Three vegan buffet-style meals are included each day. Meals usually include a variety of Thai and Western-style dishes, with filtered drinking water, tea and coffee available.

This program does not include elephant riding, circus-style shows or entertainment-based activities.

The sanctuary provides sanctuary for elephants who have often been mistreated, disabled, blind, elderly, orphaned or rescued from working industries such as logging, riding, circus shows and street begging. Volunteers are here to observe, learn and support — not to control, ride or treat elephants as attractions.

Education is a core part of the sanctuary’s work. Guided public tours help visitors understand the realities facing elephants in Thailand, while also generating income that helps fund daily care, food, veterinary support and sanctuary operations.